[=tech / Project Mayhem / generiq-musiq]


owsley@equal-technologies.com

=interview with Owsley 11/03=

When did you start producing drum and bass?
About 2 1/2 years ago.

Who or what influenced you to start producing?
The guys in my crew were definitely the biggest part of it (many thanks to y'all). I started hearing d & b for the first time about 3 years ago at parties at Generiq's. Several months later, I started hanging around Eriq's place a lot listening to Titan and Kenobi spin and Eriq produce, and I started checking out the local scene at places like the Sand Bar and the Home Bar. I got Dieselboy's The 6ixth Session mix at my friend Eddie's recommendation; this CD floored me and at this point I knew I had to cut some tracks. I had been messing around with sounds for a while at this point; soon afterward I got Reason, which really helped me start defining my style and with which I have made all of my best tunes.

What type of gear do you use?
I use a Toshiba laptop or my roomies Gateway desktop. As for software, I started with Acid 2.0, then moved on to Fruityloops 3. I acquired Reason 1.0 in the summer of 2001, which quickly became my favorite production tool. I now use Reason 2.5 primarily, sometimes running it through Steinberg Nuendo. I apply the finishing touches to my tracks in Sound Forge 5.

When and where did you hear your stuff played out for the first time?
February 27, 2003 at the Shadow Lounge in the illustrious "Deep Ellum" district of our fair city. It was great, but their subs didn't carry very well.

How has you style progressed since you started producing?
Well, I'm a lot better...., no really, I feel I have a much better idea of what makes a tune good and spinnable. I love the dark shit so I usually go for the throat with the reese, but I try to put some sort of melodic hook in everything I do; I think a lot of the best tracks out there have really catchy synth lines.

Who are your favorite producers?
There's so many! Right now I really like Trust (out of Philly), and of course the mighty Pendulum. My favorites of all time would definitely include Tech Itch, Kemal + Rob Data/Konflict, Concord Dawn,and Bad Co., but that's just scratching the surface. I like anything with depth and melody (Klute, Paul B, etc.); the new DJ Sage mix (Drum + Bass Elements 001) is full of that kind of stuff. I've recently heard a lot of underground stateside stuff that's great. We are comin up!

What are your favorite tracks?
There are too many to make a definitive list without forgetting any. My favorites right now would include:
Bad Co. - Mass Hysteria (Hive rmx)
Moving Fusion - Atlantis
Dykast - Don't Hold Back
Trust + Dstar - Amore
Tech Itch - Turn Me Out/Don't Go
Hypertech - Fracture rmx

What are the best live shows you've ever been to?
The best d & b dj's I've ever seen are Kemal, who played some really sick yet beautiful tunes, and DJ Craze, who tore the shit out the decks in a way that I'm still at a loss to fully comprehend. Delta Heavy with Sasha and Digweed had an amazing vibe and some of the loudest bass I've ever heard. As far as rock goes, pretty much any time I've seen Tool, Fugazi, or the Toadies, it has been top notch. All the punk rock shows I went to as a teenager were very influential. Sleepytime Gorilla Museum is definitely a badass experimental live band that deserves recognition, check them out! I love all kinds of music and there is much more I could say about this than an online interview would allow space for.

What do you listen to when you are not producing?
All kinds of stuff. I listen to a lot of d & b of course, but also Tool, Radiohead, Fugazi, Aphex Twin, the White Stripes, hip-hop and trip hop (DJ Cam inside), house (Deep Dish rules), Miles Davis, Pink Floyd, Hendrix, I better end the list before it gets too long....

Where do you think drum and bass will be in 10 years?
All I can say is right now it has a lot of momentum and the tunes are getting better by the year. There is a lot of fresh talent coming out of the woodwork from all over the place, which I think should ensure the genre's longevity for a while to come.

Will you still be producing drum and bass then?
Yeah, if I feel it.

Who do you want to shout out to?
Everybody that truly loves real music and life and all my friends.

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